Finders Seekers
by starspangledpumpkin
Summary: Cedric Diggory is kind, friendly, and earnest. Viktor just can't help but fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

**Hufflepuff**

 **Seventh Year**

 **Short**

 **Word Count: 2483 (Google docs), 2481 (Word)**

 **Houses Competition Prompt(s): [pairing] Cedric Diggory/Viktor Krum**

 **MC4A Challenge(s):** Paranormal Phantasm; Lessons Learned; Sky's the Limit; Terms of Service; By Any Other Name; Hufflepuff MC (with food); Ethnic & Present

 **Representations:** Magic; Hogwarts; Queer Characters; Champions; Distant Families

 **Bonus Challenges:** Creature Feature; Casper's House; Second Verse (Unicorn - Bisexuality; Mouth of Babes; Middle Name; Tomorrow's Shade; Unwanted Advice; Some Beach; Mermaid; Brooms Only)

 **A/N: Popo is Chinese for grandma on mother's side. Technically it's wai po. But I always called mine Popo. Ranitsa is the Bulgarian phonetic spelling for rucksack.**

 **~o0o~**

A floating feeling… a graveyard… a flash of green.

Viktor snapped awake and looked blearily around the room. That's right, he wasn't in his cell-like bedroom at Durmstrang. Instead, he was sleeping in the lower deck of the Durmstrang ship. Slapping Milo Poliakoff's foot out of his face, he fell out of the lower hammock and coughed hoarsely.

His cold hadn't eased up at all over the night and frankly he would have preferred to sleep all day. Unfortunately, he was wired to wake up horribly early for Quidditch practice. Stifling another cough, Viktor got dressed and pulled on his fur coat before heading up to the deck of the ship. The sleeping quarters were stifling with four to a room and hammocks hanging wherever with no order, hence the foot in the mouth.

Though it wasn't nearly as frigid as the north of Finland where Durmstrang was located, it was cold enough to send a quick shiver down his neck. Why a Bulgarian woman would choose to have a school so far away and so far north was beyond Viktor. Perhaps he could go inside Hogwarts. Certainly it wouldn't be as cold, and he seemed to remember a massive fireplace in the Mess Hall.

Without checking the time, he went to the top deck and unfurled the ladder, hoping the tide was low enough that he wouldn't get his feet wet. As he made his way up to the school, the sky was already turning grey, but the thick scent of rain promised it wouldn't get any brighter once the sun was up.

In the Entrance Hall of the school, the Goblet of Fire burned brightly. Viktor studied it a moment. Perhaps he could lie to Karkaroff and say he put his name in already. No… Karkaroff would see right through him. Nobody lied to Karkaroff and got away with it.

"You're up early," came a pleasant voice.

In the torchlight, Viktor saw a boy around his age with raven hair and sharp cheekbones approach him. He eyed him warily waiting for the fawning and the begging of autographs. But none of that came. The boy just crossed the Age-Line and placed a piece of paper in the Goblet, the flame turning orange just briefly to accept his admission.

"I am used to rising early," said Viktor slowly contemplating each word.

"You look cold," the boy commented. "And hungry. Breakfast won't be for a couple more hours, but I think we can at least get some toast."

Viktor inclined his head slightly and followed him. For some reason, he trusted this boy. Perhaps it was the smile or the way he spoke to him like a person and not a celebrity.

"I'm Cedric by the way." He walked backwards and extended his hand. "Cedric Diggory."

"Viktor Krum." Viktor shook his hand firmly and hoped his face wasn't flushing.

"I think I remember Karkaroff loudly mentioning you had a cold," said Cedric. "I bet the elves would be more than happy to put together a pot of tea."

Elves?

Viktor followed Cedric down a corridor past a pile of barrels and stopped in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit. Cedric tickled the pear which laughed and became a doorknob. The entire painting swung open revealing a massive kitchen as big as the mess hall upstairs. House-elves were busy at copper pots and pans, others were washing dishes only to have them be used again for another dish, and still others were setting up platters on each of the four long tables.

"Good morning, Master Diggory!" said a house-elf. She must've been the Head Elf since her tunic was purple compared to the cream of the others. "What can Meenie be doing for you?"

"My friend Viktor here has a cold," Cedric explained. "I think some ginger tea might do the trick. In fact, I've got some in my backpack. _Popo_ always said to carry around ginger tea for colds and jasmine tea for company."

He shrugged off a rucksack and dug through it removing a cylindrical tin which he passed to the elf.

"Any chance we can get some toast?"

"Of course, sir!"

"You're the guv!"

Cedric sat down and gestured for Viktor to do the same, which he reluctantly did.

"So…" said Cedric. "Did anyone in Slytherin give you the run down?"

Run down? Was this a British custom? Cedric must've seen his confusion.

"Okay," he rested his elbows on the table, "I don't know how your schedules are at Durmstrang but here, they are a mess. We've got one professor per subject and you'll see most of them, like, once a week. I don't know if you've ever had crazy professors but sit in the back of the room for Defense. He tends to spit when he talks. He also recently put us under the imperius curse so that we knew what it felt like and could try to fight it off."

"Did you fight it off?" Viktor asked curiously.

"I would rather die before I sing Waterloo in front of everyone."

As Cedric went on about class schedules and the teachers' personalities and everything, Viktor couldn't help but stare at him in amazement. Nobody had ever treated him this kindly before. Fake, yes, but never kind. And before he became famous… Well, something told him that Cedric would have spoken to him when he was still known as Viktor the Vulture.

"Here," said Cedric, giving Viktor a tissue not a moment too soon.

"Do you always carry ranitsa around?" he asked, sniffling. An elf came by to clear the tissue.

"Hm?" he looked at his bag. "Oh, of course! I find it very useful for Prefect duties. I keep all sorts of things in there. Tissues, bandages, hygiene products, fidget toys…"

That was… adorable.

~o0o~

Despite Cedric being his opponent in the Tournament, Viktor couldn't help but find himself infatuated, which complicated things on many levels. Yet it didn't seem to bother Cedric in the slightest. It became an unspoken agreement that they met for breakfast in the Kitchens. Cedric did most of the talking, but Viktor didn't mind. He was learning a lot of slang and vocabulary, which was helpful.

The morning after the First Task, Champions were allowed the day off from classes to rest and recuperate. Once again, Viktor met Cedric in the Kitchens where he found the Hufflepuff bundled up in a heavy cloak.

"Want to go for a walk?" Cedric asked.

Surprised, Viktor nodded and immediately put his coat back on.

They walked in silence, which was unusual for Cedric. Viktor watched him out of the corner of his eye. His eyes were focused on the ground and his hands were deep in his pockets. He still had bandages on his face from his tangle with the dragon.

"Is your face okay?" Viktor asked.

"Hm?" Cedric glanced at him. "Oh … yeah … My face is fine."

They kept walking until they reached the Abraxan stables. Cedric easily swung himself to sit on the fence. One of the elephant-sized horses approached him and nudged his chest nearly knocking him over. Viktor rested his arms on the rail of the fence. There was something comforting from the horsey smell which is probably why Cedric brought them there.

"Your face is fine," he said. "But you, personally, are not?"

Cedric pressed his forehead into the Abraxan's muzzle. "What gave it away?"

"Karkaroff did not score fairly," said Viktor. "I should have been last. I killed dragon eggs."

"Mm… too late to change the points. I just wish I could erase those disappointed looks in everyone's eyes."

"I know plenty about disappointment," Viktor muttered.

"How so?"

Viktor picked at his thumbnail and bit his lips together. He had become good friends with Cedric. Cedric was kind, honest, and earnest. Would he be willing to keep this sort of thing?

"Can you keep secret?"

"Always," said Cedric. "I know everyone's secrets. It's actually easier to keep them than you'd think."

"Can you guess mine then?" Viktor asked.

"I think it's one you should say for yourself."

Viktor took a deep breath and stared straight down at the Abraxan's hooves.

"I … I prefer men," he said. "O-over women. My father … Deep down I think he knows. Which means he has tried to crush it out of me. Peers would not understand. Teammates would not understand."

"I understand," said Cedric, reaching over and resting his hand on Viktor's forearm. "My friend Tabatha is the only one who knows I fancy men _and_ women."

Viktor looked at Cedric's hand and dared to smile.

At that moment, the Abraxan snorted, sending Cedric backwards and onto the ground with a sound thud.

Viktor couldn't help but laugh. His laugh was short and sharp which he stifled by slapping his hand over his mouth.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I've had worse," said Cedric. "I would appreciate a little help though."

Viktor hauled Cedric to his feet and decided to take a leap.

"You say you… you fancy men?"

Cedric nodded.

"So… could you… I mean… fancy me?"

"Why else would I wake up at five in the bloody morning to meet you?" Cedric laughed. "Of course I fancy you!"

Viktor bit back his grin then sobered. "We cannot tell anyone."

"I know," said Cedric. "I don't care."

~o0o~

Darkness became Viktor's best friend. The only time he and Cedric could be together was at early dawn when no one else was awake. The castle was also big enough that there were plenty of places for them to hide out. It was the type of romance Viktor always wanted when he was growing up.

Nobody noticed, all too wrapped up in their own lives to see the glances and the smiles between the two boys.

One afternoon in late December, Cedric and Viktor met in the library in one of the back corners. Judging by the dust, nobody ever went there.

"I hear there's a ball," said Cedric with a teasing grin.

"Really?" said Viktor. "I have not noticed. So that is why girls are dropping subtle hints."

"I'm having the same problem," said Cedric. "I wish we could go together."

"I wish the same," said Viktor tracing Cedric's cheek with his thumb and looked into those startling grey eyes.

Viktor blinked a few times, swallowed hard, and nodded. "May I kiss you?"

"I never thought you'd ask."

Cedric's lips were soft. Viktor could still taste the lingering jasmine tea he'd had with breakfast.

"Mm!"

The two boys broke apart to stare at the intruder. A brown-skinned girl with a mass of curly brown hair was standing by the bookcases and a Chinese girl right behind her, their eyes reflecting their surprise. Judging by the former's red tie she was one of those… Griffin-doors and the girl in the blue tie was a Ravens Claw. These Houses had such odd names.

"I just… needed a book," said the Griffin-door awkwardly and reached past them to pull down a book on obscure languages. "Okay, bye."

"Hang on," said Cedric, grabbing her wrist before she could leave. "You- you're not going to tell anyone about this are you?"

"No," she said.

Cedric let her go. "Really?" He looked at the Ravens Claw. "Cho?"

"Not a word from me," she said miming zipping her lips.

"We won't say a word," said the Griffin-door, reaching back and taking Cho's hand. "Promise."

Oh… guess they weren't the only ones. Viktor was relieved to find two other people who understood.

"How long has this been going on?" Cedric asked pointedly looking at their hands.

"Since last year," said Cho. "Hermione and I found a lot in common."

"She was there for me after the Firebolt incident," said the girl who was evidently called Hermione.

"Well," said Cedric, a smile tugging at those soft lips. "I'm glad. And I'm glad we can trust you."

"See you 'round," said Cho, leaving with Hermione. "Oh!" She leaned back. "We're the only ones here so… carry on."

Cedric chuckled and pressed his face into Viktor's neck.

"That was awkward."

"Understatement of year," Viktor mumbled, willing the blush to recede from his cheeks.

"So… where were we?" Cedric asked looking up at him.

Viktor's vision flashed green and he saw those beautiful grey eyes staring vacantly at a head stone. He flinched and hit his head back against the bookcase.

"Are you okay?" Cedric asked.

"I-I'm fine," said Viktor. "I have to go. I will see you tomorrow."

"Alright…" Cedric didn't look convinced.

Viktor kissed his forehead before rushing out of the library. He must've looking intimidating because a group of Hufferpuffs heading to breakfast jumped apart to let him pass. The Bulgarian broke into a run towards the ship, snow crunched under his boots, and wind numbed his cheeks. He scaled the ladder and hurried down to his sleeping quarters. Milo was the only one remaining, running late, as per usual.

"Viktor?" he asked sleepily. "Are you okay?"

Viktor did not answer as he flung open his trunk and dug out a wooden box. Hugging the box to his chest, he ran to the nearest closet and kicked out the cleaning supplies before slamming the door shut behind him. Premonitions could be wrong and it was good to consult other sources. Hands shaking, he opened the box and dug out his tarot cards first. Forcing his mind to calm he shuffled them and thought of Cedric. His hands tingled once the cards were sufficiently shuffled. Fanning them out, he drifted his fingers over them, choosing the three that had the highest energy. He turned them over one by one and felt sick.

Knight of Swords, Death, Three of Swords. Tarot cards were random anyway, and each card had so many meanings.

Putting them back in the velvet back, he wiggled his wand and transfigured himself a tea set. While it boiled, he took out a bone, carved a rune, and threw it in the fire. As soon as the tea kettle shrieked, bone shattered. No. Viktor put the tea leaves in the pot to steep, took out his mother's crystal ball, and placed it in a bundle of ropes. He stared hard into the fog and released a low moan at what it showed him.

When the tea was ready, he poured it into a cup, drank nearly everything in one swallow, swirled it three times, and tipped the excess over in his saucer before reading the leaves. Cursing, he smashed the teacup against the wall. Ignoring the cut on his palm, he kept going.

He tried the runestones, the casting stones, and the scrying bowl, and each one told him the same thing. Screaming in frustration, Viktor knocked the bowl over and kicked the wall repeatedly. Everything told him the same thing.

His first love was going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Space Address:** 4E

 **Word Count:** 1081

 **Challenges:** Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Ravenclaw MC; Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent; Quiet Time; Short Jog; The Real MC

 **Bonus:** None

 **Warnings:** Body swap; Ron being a jerk; mild violence

~o0o~

In spite of his revelation, Viktor was determined to make the most of his time with Cedric. He wanted to take the boy to the Yule Ball, but how was he going to do that without outing the both of them to the world?

The answer came in the form of Hermione Granger and Cho Chang.

Cedric and Viktor were studying in the library when they were approached by the two girls.

"We have a proposition for you two," said Hermione. "Cho and I want to go to the Yule Ball together and I imagine you two do as well."

"Yes," said Cedric. "What, do you think we should arrive together and make a statement about heteronormativity?"

"Lord, no," said Hermione. "These people are incredibly homophobic, no, we can come out when we're out from under the thumb of peer pressure."

"There's peer pressure in the workforce, but go on."

"Well, since we can't come out as we are," said Cho. "We were thinking that we could go with who we wanted, but… not."

"I do not understand," said Viktor.

"I Polyjuice as Cedric and Cedric Polyjuices as me," said Hermione. "We have some potion ready. We meet and make the switch, make sure we take enough so it lasts the entire night."

"Brilliant," said Cedric. "What do you think, Viktor?"

Viktor tipped his head back and forth. "I think we can manage it."

"Wonderful," said Cho. "It should be a fun night."

"Yeah," said Cedric.

~o0o~

The night of the Yule Ball finally arrived. Cedric and Hermione made the switch in the Quidditch changing room and changed into their robes with enough time to act like each other. Hermione helped Cedric with his hair since he didn't know how to style her curls.

"It's weird seeing myself like this," he said. "Have you ever done polyjuice before?"

"Once," said Hermione. "My second year. It didn't end well. I accidentally used a cat hair instead of human hair."

"Well, we got it right this time," he said. "Though, could you not speak so loudly?"

"I'm speaking at a normal volume," said Hermione, though she did drop her voice.

"Do I always speak that loudly?"

"Everyone talks that loud," she replied. "You get used to it."

"I don't know, maybe the Polyjuice is off."

"It's not," said Hermione. "I hadn't considered this… but I think my autistic traits carried over. I am so sorry, Cedric, but for the rest of the night everything is going to be very loud and you might want to crawl out of your skin."

"Morgan le Fay, how do you deal with it?"

"It's my entire life, Cedric," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I just deal with it."

"It fucking sucks."

Hermione laughed. "Do not let profanity come out of my mouth again, okay?"

"Sure thing."

They spent the next couple hours teaching one to act like the other, took another dose of Polyjuice, and went their separate ways. Hermione went to meet Cho inside and Cedric met Viktor at the Durmstrang ship. They were all wearing the same scarlet robes with the fur capelet. Viktor diverged to meet him halfway.

"You look dashing," said Cedric, winking. "Psst. It's me."

Viktor smiled and squeezed his hand. "It does feel nice to hold your hand in public."

"Yeah," said Cedric. "Being in Hermione's body is bloody awful, though. I feel like I can feel all the magic radiating from the school. I didn't know that was possible."

"It is just until midnight," said Viktor.

Cedric smiled and lifted his skirt for the stairs.

Dinner went off without a hitch, though Cedric got a headache from the chatter. The music of the Weird Sisters brought some relief and he was able to lose himself in the dancing. Viktor was the absolute worst dancer you had ever seen, but Cedric just thought it made him all the more charming and he was smitten all over again.

Viktor leaned in and Cedric thought it was for a kiss, but then he said in his ear.

"Your hair is turning black."

"Ah, shit," he said. "I'll be right back."

"Okay, I will get us some punch." Viktor kissed his hand and Cedric became giddy.

"I won't be long," he said and hurried through the crowd.

Ron Weasley stepped in his path looking like someone pissed in his punch.

"Excuse me," said Cedric. "I just need to go… powder my nose."

"What so you can look more ridiculous than you do?"

Cedric stilled. Maybe it was the noise grating on his nerves, or maybe he just wasn't in the mood to deal with some snarky twit, but he glared at this boy who thought it was okay to say something like that to someone who was supposed to be his friend.

"Excuse me?" he growled.

"What's everyone going to think with you grinding up on Viktor Krum like that? You're supposed to be supporting Harry in this tournament and you're fraternizing with the enemy!"

"Hey, we're just friends!" Cedric shouted. "That's what this tournament is about isn't it? And where do you get off on talking to your friends this way? Huh? Now, excuse me."

"Oi, I'm not done talking to you, Hermione!" Ron grabbed Cedric's arm.

A mere grab had never been painful to Cedric before. Gritting his teeth, he punched the git square in the nose and jammed his heel into his toe before storming off to the bathroom. After taking his dose of potion, he found Hermione in his image waiting for him.

"Why the hell did you punch one of my best friends in the face?"

"I don't know how to tell you this," said Cedric. "Oh, wait, I do. Ron is a prat and you need to dump him as a friend. He's mean and invasive. I'm going back to Viktor, but your 'friend' needs to know that he's an asshole and shouldn't talk to you that way!"

Cedric left her alone in the corridor and found his boyfriend by the punch table.

"Are you okay?" Viktor asked.

"It's too much," said Cedric, covering his ears. "It's too loud. I need to go somewhere quiet. Can we go somewhere quiet?"

"Da, of course." Holding the punch cups in one hand, Viktor led Cedric out of the Great Hall and they found a hidden staircase that wasn't being used by a snogging couple. They spent the rest of the evening just talking, the faint music echoing down the hall.


End file.
